Hugh Herr's story of extreme innovation started when he lost both of his legs from the knee down in a mountain climbing accident.  Told by his doctor that he would never climb again, Herr took to the machine shop. He perfected prostheses for his own use that not only allowed him to climb again, but to do things with his engineered feet that the human body couldn't do. Herr's extreme engineering allow him to wedge his "foot" into a narrow rock fissure, climb ice floes with crampon-feet, or extend his height to 7 feet tall. Herr has truly ripped up the assumptions of what amputees can do, balled them up, and threw them off the top of the cliff.

Herr's guiding mantra is Simplicity through biological inspiration. Whether we are putting the body in the machine, or the machine into the body, simplicity is the key, because the interface must be humanized, even if the internals of the bionics are complex. Herr's designs at the Biomechatronics Group in MIT's Media Lab combine complex algorithms, advanced materials and powerful processing to make knees, ankles and feet that act like the biological version.

The key to Innovation is courage - don't listen to anyone who tells you it ain't possible.